I came late to this party. I stopped actively collecting fashion dolls in my mid-teens, and by that point, I was collecting special edition type dolls. I simply never heard of Halloween Barbie, which is a shame. About 6 or 7 months ago, I discovered that not only do they exist, but Target offers an exclusive Halloween Barbie every year. I debated for a while over whether or not to get the general HB that Mattel offers, or the Target-exclusive ones. I ended up settling on the Target dolls for the time being. There's always time in the future to pick up the others if I change my mind.
I also have some more blind bags! These are Hello Kitty ones, Halloween themed! Hello Kitty is dressed up as various monsters, and looking as adorable as ever. Two of my favorites in one, I couldn't pass them up. They're made by Funko, who create all kinds of pop culture-themed toys. These are from their Mystery Minis line, which are blind bags...or more specifically, boxes.
I was keeping an eye out for Halloween merchandise as I did my shopping over the past month, I figured it would be a good idea to do the reviews for these together, given the subject matter. Let's open them up and take a look at them!
I found these Funko Mystery Minis at Barnes and Noble; I actually had to go to three different ones before I found them in stock! I'm not sure if this means that they're limited availability, or if the other stores just don't restock quickly. You can pick them up for $5.95 apiece.
The box is adorable, and is covered in pictures of the various figures you can get. There's also a rarity guide on the back. There are 16 figures in total. 10 are unique, and 6 are variations: glow-in-the-dark Frankenstein (which is one of the rarest, 1/144 odds), glow-in-the-dark ghost, red-themed Dia de Los Muertos/sugar skull, glow-in-the-dark mummy, green zombie (the other rarest, 1/144), and white-furred witch.
I got three of them. I may or may not have mentioned, but I usually limit myself to getting three of any type of blind boxes. Otherwise, I could probably go broke from trying to complete a set. (If I get a double, though, I'll buy another; I want to have three unique items from each set.)
The first figure that I got is...erm...Dia de Los Muertos Hello Kitty, I suppose. I think she is supposed to be a sugar skull. She is one of the common figures, with 2 in 24 odds of getting her. She is the pink bow variation. She's about 2 and a half inches tall, and very light. Her head turns, but that's it for articulation.
The next figure is Ghost!Hello Kitty. She's not the glow-in-the-dark variation, though. Booo. (Heh!)
The last is Vampire!Hello Kitty. The cape's collar prevents her from moving her head very much--the others have heads that can turn 360 degrees--but it moves well enough.
The lines are smooth and clean, and the colors are soft and pleasing. They look really good, quality-wise, and very adorable, aesthetic-wise. I might end up breaking my Rule of Three to try and get some more in the series. I really, really want the skeleton and mummy versions! (I'll pass any doubles on to friends if I get them. Doubles, I mean. Not friends.)
And now, Hallie. I found her on sale at Target for $10.98, about $2 off of MSRP, which is nice. (I've heard rumors that you can pick up Halloween-themed merchandise for over 50% off in early November, so I'll have to go back and see if there are any available for $5 or less. It's doubtful at my Target, though; I got her in mid-September, went back two weeks later, and there was one left, on clearance for $9.)
The box is predominately deep magenta pink and black. Barbie femininity but with a slight edge. Not bad. The graphic on the front of the box is a pair of arched gates, and the background of the box's inside is a haunted house illuminated by a setting sun. It looks like Barbie is standing in the courtyard of the haunted house, which is...actually, kind of good. It looks like thought was taken into the presentation, which gets points in my book.
Anyway, Hallie's got a sort of bat theme going on here. She has a glittery hair bow that looks like a cross between a wrapped candy, a little bow, and a bat. Her hair is streaked with pink to one side, which is a nice touch. I think black and pink would be really cool. Her dress has a sweetheart neckline, and is covered in glitter to match her bow. It's held on by a back-of-the-neck strap that is stylized to look like bat wings. It looks a little like a starched ruffled collar. The top of the ensemble is pulled together by a large pink necklace that looks like a spiderweb.
The skirt of the dress is a really deep metallic magenta that matches the box, and is patterned with spiderwebs and bats. She carries a little bat purse that reminds me a lot of Monster High's Draculaura. In fact, the outfit looks like something she'd wear.
The back of the box is super boring. Just the logo and a Halloween poem that reads like a fifth grader wrote it. Nothing of interest here, kids.
I was going to take her out of the box, but then I ran out of time--I was desperately trying to squeeze this in between getting home from work and the start of trick-or-treating...hence why you're seeing this technically after Halloween is over. What can I say, my life is hectic.
Anyway, I've got to get going, so Miss Scarlett is signing off with a Happy Halloween to everyone! (And now Christmastime begins, amirite?)
Miss Scarlett suggests: Halloween toys are awesome. Go buy some.
